Just Like Pretty Woman
by DarylDixon'sgirl1985
Summary: Escort!AU. Hermione Granger is the Minister of Magic. She's got a lot of responsibilities and a lot weight on her shoulders. But what happens when she finds her husband Ron cheating on her with their friend Harry? Will that ruin her plans for the New Year's Eve ball she's been planning, or will new plans be made once Marcus, a charming working man, comes into her life?


**Hey everyone. This story was brought to you by 365 Prompt Lists, The Insane Prompt List, and Hogwarts Bingo on Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. **

**365 Prompt Lists: 226. (word) official **

**The Insane Prompt List: 772. (AU) Escort **

**Hogwarts Bingo: O4 (pairing) Hermione/Marcus**

**Warning for Escort!AU, mentions of cheating, and slight out of character. Word count is 2,046 words. I hope you all enjoy the first chapter of Just Like Pretty Woman. **

Hermione Granger cursed as she watched the preparations for the New Years Eve ball. Ron, of course, had chosen this moment to leave her for another man. She should have known that it was too good to be true. Ron and Harry were always sneaking off together when they thought she wasn't looking.

"Minister Granger," a voice behind her broke her thoughts, "you have to sign off on the invitations."

She turned with a false smile towards her press secretary and took the invitation that was being held out to her. Looking at the elegant parchment invitation she realized another reason she had for cursing. When she'd thought up the ball she'd been happily married, or so she thought, to Ron. But now she didn't have anyone to go with to this ball.

"Is there a problem with the font, or wording?" Lilianna asked, watching Hermione's face as it dropped as the woman read. "I can take it back to the printer and have them all redone."

"No," Hermione sighed. "There's no problem at all. These look wonderful, Lilianna. Leave them on the desk and I'll fill them out and mail them."

"Minister, that's my job," the auburn haired woman retorted with a gentle smile on her face. "Why don't you give me the initial invitation list and I'll fill out the invites?" She gave Hermione a reassuring smile. "I'm sure that everyone will want to go."

"Me too," Hermione said. Not that no one wanting to go was the problem at all. It was quite the opposite indeed. She wanted to go to the ball but had no one to take her. "Lilianna, could you please hold my calls for the afternoon. I have to go see someone important." She didn't want to mention that important person was her best friend Luna Lovegood, or for that matter the other problem she was facing at the moment.

"As you wish, Minister Granger." Lilianna gathered the invitations, the list of invited people, and stack of envelopes and left the office without another word.

As soon as Lilianna was out of the room, Hermione stalked towards the fireplace cursing Ron with each step she took. Taking a handful of Floo Powder she tossed it into fireplace with a sigh. When the flames turned emerald green she stepped into them, and called out "Lovegood residence."

She landed with a thud on her feet to find Luna's face looking towards in her pure confusion. Stepping from the fireplace, Hermione smiled at Luna eliciting a smile from the blonde woman sitting at the table.

"I need your help, Luna," Hermione said before Luna could say anything. "You remember me telling you about that New Years Eve ball at the Ministry? Expect an invitation to that by the way."

Luna nodded. "What about it?" she asked curiously.

"At the time I thought it up I was still married to Ron, right?" She sighed. "I wasn't expecting that I wouldn't have a date to this thing. What would it look like if the Minister of Magic showed up solo to her own party?"

"Pretty bad. What are you planning on doing?"

"That's why I came to you. You know everything there is to know about almost every problem someone would encounter. What do you think I should do, Luna?"

"I don't know. Maybe the answer is one of those Muggle movies you showed me the other day? Then again would it really be the worst to go solo to this party?"

"It would if Ron shows up with Harry."

"I hope you figure out what you want to do before the ball, Hermione."

"Me too."

Hermione sighed as she left the Lovegood house. She didn't want to seem rude to her friend but she needed to figure this problem out. Luna had mentioned maybe the answer would be in one of the Muggle movies Hermione liked to watch. But most of them were high school movies. She was pretty sure that singing and dancing of High School Musical wouldn't work for this one. The poetry of 10 Things I Hate About You wasn't going to cut it either.

"What do I?" she asked herself turning on the tv.

The TV turned on just in time for the end scene of Pretty Woman to play on the no longer blank screen. Then it hit. Luna had been right all along. All she needed to do was go down the seedy end of Knockturn Alley and find someone willing to pose as her date to this thing. But not just any man would do. They had to be good looking and know when to speak and when not to speak.

Meanwhile across town, on a seedy corner of Knockturn Alley, Marcus Flint was standing next to one of the other men who worked the corner. He really didn't appreciate the fact that he had competition for the corner. He'd made it pretty clear, or he thought he had, who the main man in this part of Knockturn Alley was.

"Hey Marcus," the man, because Marcus really didn't care to remember his name, said with a friendly smile. "Business slow tonight?"

Marcus mumbled a few curses under his breath as he turned with a fake smile on his face. "A little," he said noncommittally. "But the night is still young." He turned a flirty smile a group of passing gentlemen, who stopped to look but then kept walking.

"You're probably right," the blond said with a smirk. "You have been doing this longer than I have after all. You'd know best."

"I would, wouldn't I?" Marcus hissed turning his back on the younger blond man. He hoped the young man would get the hint that he didn't want to continue talking to him.

"Did you hear about that ball they're having at the Ministry of Magic for the Minister and her little friends?" The blond man chuckled wryly. "Wouldn't it be a hoot to get an invite to something like that?"

"You and I won't be getting an invitation any of those high society parties. Our type doesn't rub elbows with their types." He laughed as he saw her approach. The slight figure with the purple cloak pulled up covering her face. She didn't seem like the sort that would come down to this part of Knockturn Alley. "Can we help you, Miss?"

"I sure hope you can," the woman in the cloak said, watching Marcus. She'd taken notice of the blond man but he wasn't the sort she was looking for. The man she was looking was the perfect specimen to take the ball and the events leading up to it. "Can we talk somewhere more private?"

"Anything you want, lady," the blond man said, starting to move forward.

"I wasn't talking to you," the woman said, turning towards Marcus. "I was talking to you."

"As you wish, my lady," he said, smirking over at the younger man. He walked backward towards the cloaked woman sticking his tongue out at the younger man. "What can I do for you?" he asked when they were far enough away that no one could overhear them.

"I...I…"

"Never done this before, have you?" Marcus asked, a hint of laughter in his voice. "You have to proposition me first. Unless you're some sort of undercover Auror or something like that. Then you didn't hear me say that."

"I'm not an undercover Auror, and in this circumstance I will be willing to let it slide."

Marcus paled considerably. He mentally cursed himself for being pulled away be some sort of undercover Auror, or whatever this woman was.

"You're an Auror aren't you?"

"What gave you that idea?"

"You just said that you'd let my asking you to proposition me slide. Who else besides an Auror would have the ability to do that?"

"Maybe the Minister of Magic?"

Marcus laughed at this. The Minister of Magic wouldn't be caught dead on Knockturn Alley. She was far too goody two shoed for that. It was at that point that he caught sight of her face in the light shining from the window of a storefront they were walking past.

"As you can clearly see," she pointed out, "I am the Minister of Magic. Now do you want to hear what I have to say, or not?"

Marcus nodded.

"I need a date for a couple weeks," Hermione said, watching the man in front of her. She hadn't known that Marcus Flint could clean up this well. She'd known that it was him when she approached him by just his voice. He'd grown into his looks and no longer looked like an overgrown troll which is what made her approach him. "Your friend was talki…

"He's not my friend," Marcus snorted. "He's my competition for the corner. Nothing more."

"Well, as he mentioned him my office is holding a New Year's Eve ball, and are also a few events leading up to it that I'm required to go to," Hermione explained. "I was going to go with my ex-husband but you probably hear what happened between us in the Daily Prophet."

Marcus laughed and nodded. "You caught him and Potter screwing. How could you not know that was happening?"

"I keep asking myself that everyday, but that is besides the point. The point is I can't really take Ron with me."

"So what? You want to take me to your little ball? And all those events leading up to the silly little thing?"

Hermione nodded. "I'd be willing to pay handsomely for your services," she said, reaching into a poach at her hip.

"Not here," Marcus warned her. "I'll do it. Under one condition."

"What is that?"

"You set me up for the week. A nice place to stay. Fancy clothes, because I dare you want someone dressed like me on your arm, and I right?"

Hermione took Marcus's look in. He was wearing a sink tight shirt that showed off his abs perfectly. Sink tight leather pants that showed off almost everything. She shook her head. The people at the ministry wouldn't take kindly to someone dressed like him at any Ministry event.

Taking the shake of Hermione's head as a no Marcus went to turn back to his corner. He should have known that it was too good to be true. No woman that successful would want some bum off the street like him.

"Where are you going?" Hermione asked warily.

"You just said no to my one condition. I'm going back to work my corner."

"I didn't say no to anything. In fact, I quite agree that my co-worker would rather not like your choice of clothes."

"So, you're agreeing to get me new clothes to go these events with you?"

"Yes."

"And a place to stay?"

"I thought you only had one condition. Is this a new condition of your employment?"

"Yes."

"What if I say no?"

"Then it looks like you're looking for a new date, Minister." He laughed at the dumbfounded look on her face. "Is that a no, Minister Granger?"

"No. It's not a no. I was just wondering."

"Then it's a deal?"

Hermione nodded. Then indicated that Marcus should follow her. "Shall we?"

"Don't you even want to know the name of the person you're dealing with, Granger?" Marcus asked, trying to make conversation with the girl, who'd grown into her looks. If he was the sort of man girls went for he'd have tried to actually get with her. But he wasn't so he'd take what could get.

"My ex-best friend was on the Quidditch team since first year," Hermione pointed out. "I know exactly who you are by the sound of your voice, Marcus Flint."

Marcus felt his face pale as he trailed after her. Was his voice that recognizable that anyone would realize who he was?

"I voted for you, you know?" he said, just to keep up the flow of conversation. "For Minister of Magic."

"Thank you."

As he followed Hermione Granger into the Leaky Cauldron, he couldn't help but think that this was his official first act of stupidity. He was sure that it wouldn't be his last act in regards to the pretty young Minister of Magic either.

**I hope you all enjoyed Just Like Pretty Woman's first chapter. **


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